Lighting fixture



Jan. 19, 1954 BECK 2,666,844

LIGHTING FIXTURE Filed July 11, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l IN VEN TOR.

lax WM? Jan. 19, 1954 BECK I 2,666,844

LIGHTING FIXTURE Filed July 11, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 53 59 INVENTOR.

iatented Jan. 19, 1954 LIGHTING FIXTURE Morris B. Beck, Woodsburgh, N.Y., assignor to Products Designs 00., Fairhaven, N. J., a partnershipApplication July 11, 1951, Serial No. 236,193

3 Claims. 3.

My present invention relates generally to lighting fixtures, and hasparticular reference to an improved fixture of the type which issuspended from a ceiling.

A general object of the invention is to provide a fixture adapted to beused with, or to include asa part thereof, an electric lamp of thesocalled semi-silvered type. Such a lamp has a base which may be mountedin a socket in wellknown fashion, and a filament enclosure whose end ishemispherical, this hemisphere being silvered except for the extreme endzone. By the term silvered I refer to its well-known signifi cance inthis art, whereby the wall is coated exteriorly or interiorly to make itopaque and to adapt it to reflect light rays which emanate from thefilament and impinge upon it. In a semisilvered lamp, some light rayspass directly through the unsilvered end zone, others pass laterallythrough the unsilvered part adjacent to the base. Included among thelatter are those rays which have impinged upon the silvered area andbeen reflected.

A more particular object of the invention is to provide a fixture inwhich the rays emanating from a lamp of the character mentioned areutilized to best advantage in producing not only an overall indirectillumination of a given area, but also a concentrated illumination of aselected part of the area, such as the region directly beneath thefixture. Illumination of this kind is especially useful and desirable insales and display areas of merchandising establishments.

The invention aims further to achieve an illuminating effect of thischaracter, viz., having a major component of upwardly directed light forreflection from the ceiling, coupled with a smaller downward componentof direct light, by means of a fixture which is attractive anddecorative in appearance, economical to manufacture, staunch instructure, easy to install and use, and efiicient in operation.

Other advantages of the improved fixture lie in an eifective shieldingof the light source to prevent undesirable glare, a deflection of thelight rays into the desired directions without undue loss in efiiciency,and an arrangement of parts which produces a desirable self-ventilationand which makes lamp replacement easy.

I achieve these several objects and advantages, and such other objectsand advantages as may appear hereinafter or be pointed out, in themanner illustratively exemplified in the accompanying drawings, inwhich:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a lighting fixture constructed inaccordance with the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged cross-sectional view takensubstantially along the line 2-2 of Fig. l; and

Figs. 3 and 4 are fragmentary perspective views illustrating details ofconstruction.

The fixture may be suspended from the ceiling in any suitable manner,and I have illustratively shown structural elements I0 and l I of usualand well-known character, which terminate in a downwardly-directed lampsocket ll (Fig. 2). Surrounding the socket II is a husk l2 whichconceals the socket II and which serves to support the mechanical partsof the present fixture. Mounted in the socket H is a lamp l3 of thesemi-silvered type. The lamp is provided with a base l4 whichestablishes suitable electrical connections with the socket II, and witha glass filament enclosing bulb whose lower end is hemispherical. Thishemi-spherical end is entirely silvered, as indicated at l5, except forthe extreme end zone l6. Light rays from the filament (not shown) canpass directly through the unsilvered end zone I8 and they can also passdirectly through the upper part of the bulb. The latter rays includesome which have impinged upon the silvered area 15 and been reflectedthereby.

Extending divergently downwardly from the lower end of the husk I2 are aseries of circumferentially spaced rods. One of these rods is shown atl1. Any number of rods may be employed, but three rods arranged at 120intervals have been found satisfactory. Since the constructionassociated with each of the rods is the same, a description of thesingle rod ll shown in the present drawings will be deemed sufiicient.

The upper end of the rod I! has a hook l8 by mean of which it passesthrough a suitable hole 59 in the husk l2, for support thereby. At

the lower end of the rod ll it is provided with a hook 20 which extendsthrough a bracket 2|, the.

latter being secured to the inner element 22 of an annular structure.This structure consists of spaced concentric cylindrical louvers. Theelement 22 is the innermost of these louvers. Surrounding it is thelouver 23, and surrounding the latter is the louver 24. These cylindersare held together by a series of studs, one of which is shown in Fig. 2.The stud shown has a head 25, a shank 26 which extends through suitablealigned openings in the cylindrical louvers, and a threaded inner endwith which a nut 21 engages. The stud is also provided with an in- 3wardly projecting pin 28, the function of which will be presentlydescribed.

Any number of studs may be employed to hold the louvers 22, 23 and 24 inrigid association as a single annular structure. Usually, three studsarranged at 120 intervals are satisfactory. This annular structuresurrounds the lamp I3 at its widest part.

Supported on this annular structure, and on the rods I1, so as tosurround the unsilvered part of the lamp, are a series of spaced lightbafiles. Each baffle conforms to a truncated cone diverging upward. Ihave illustratively shown three such bailles, designated 29, 30 and 3|.It will be noticed that the bafiles are of successively steeperangularity to the horizontal, the lowest baflle being the least steep;and that the bafiles from the bottom to the top of the set are ofsuccessively smaller average diameter. Thus, the uppermost bafile 29 isof the smallest average diameter, and has the steepest angularity to thehorizontal. It is supported on the rods H, in the manner indicated inFig. 3. It is provided at suitable circumferentially spaced intervals,with notches 32 which fit over the rods I'l, respectively, as shown. Tofacilitate this support of the baflle on the rods, each of the rods mayif desired be provided with bends defining a shelflike part 33. However,this is not absolutely essential, since the downward convergence of thebaflie, and the downward divergence of the rods, define a relationshipof the parts which is sufficient to hold them together.

In a similar fashion, the bafile 30 is provided with notches in itslower edge (not shown) which fit over the rods [1, respectively, at alower level.

The lowest bafile 3] has an outer diameter which is considerably greaterthan that of the other baffles. In this way, it serves to conceal therods I1, and the upper bailles, from a view rfrom underneath. The baille3! may thus be shaped and configured to form an ornamental part of thefixture as a whole. I have illustratively shown this bafile in the formof a translucent bowl-like element which may be composed of glass,plastic, or the like; but, if desired, this baffle may be composed ofopaque material such as metal.

The lowest bafile 3| is supported on the annular structure which hangsfrom the rods ll. To achieve this, the outermost louver 2 4 is providedwith an annular extension which defines a sup-, porting surface 34 and asurronding rim 35. The lower edge of the bafile 3| is angled downwardly,as shown, and rests on the suriace34.

The lighting fixture includes also an opaque shield which is removablysupported upon the annular structure. This shield has an upper part 36of spherical contour, and a lower part 31 which is cylindrical. Thecylindrical part 3'! de fines a tubular aperture in axial alignment withthe lamp [3 and lying directly beneath the unsilvered end zone I6.

The lower rim of the part 3! is turned in as shown at 38, thus defininga shelf upon which a series of spaced louvers 39 may be supported. Theselouvers preferably consist of a series of spaced concentric rings, andthey may be held together by radially arranged wires 33 and acircumferential wire 4!, the, latter resting upon the shelf 38.

To permit the opaque shield to be removed from the fixture, it issupported onthe pins 28 by a bayonet-slot engagement. This is best shownin Fig. 4, in which one of the bayonet slots is indicated at 42. Inapplying the shield, it is pushed upward so that the vertical part ofeach bayonet slot passes over one of the pins 23, whereupon a slightangular movement brings the pin to the end of the horizontal part of thebayonet slot 42.

In assembling the present structure, the louvers 22, 23 and 24 aresecured together, and the lower ends of the rods I! are engaged with thebrackets 21. These rods are then secured to the husk [2, the angularstructure at the bottom serving to hold the rods in downwardly-divergentrelationship. The several louvers are then applied from the top, thelouver 3| being lowered into position first, and the louvers 30 and 29being then lowered until their respective notches engage with the rods[1. After the lamp l3 has been inserted into the socket II, the opaqueshield at the bottom of the fixture is applied to the pins 28. For lampreplacement purposes, this shield may be readily lowered and replaced.

From the standpoint of illumination, it will be noted that the baffles2!), 30 and 3| are arranged to intercept the substantially horizontalrays which emanate from the lamp l3. Thus, it will be observed that theupper edge of the heme 29 lies above the lower edge of the husk 12; theupper edge of the baflle 30 lies above the level or the lower edge ofthe bafile 23; and the upper edge of the battle 3! lies above the levelof the lower edge of the bafile 30. The intercepted horizontal rays arethus deflected into an upward direction, joining other rays which aretravelling directly through the spaces between the bafiles, as indicatedby the rays 45. These upwardly moving rays of light impinge ultimatelyupon the ceiling, where they are reflected downwardly, thus providing anindirect over-all illumination for the area beneath the fixture. At thesame time, rays passing downwardly through the unsilvered end Zone I 6of the lamp can continue a generally downward direction as indicated bythe arrows 44. This raw" light produces a sort of spotlight efiect uponthe area directly beneath the fixture. The baffles 39 restrict thiseffect to a limited circular zone, so that there is no glare unless theobserver happens to look directly upwardly into the fixture.

Except for the rays which travel upwardly and reflect from the ceiling,and those which travel directly downwardly from the lamp, as described,none of the rays pass downwardly through the fixture. The louvers 22, 23and 24 effectively prevent any direct rays from the lamp to passdownwardly at this part of the fixture. At the same time, these louversafford ventilation spaces between them, allowingair to pass upwardlyinto the region above the battle 3|.

A similar and highly effective ventilation is achieved by the shieldwhich surrounds the lower part of the bulb. Air can pass freely upwardthrough the louvers 39 and the cylindrical part of the shield, thenceupwardly through the spaces between the lamp and the spherical part 36of the shield.

Obviously, those skilled in-the art will realize that many of thedetails herein; described and illustrated are purely illustrative, andthat changes in these details may be effected in many respects withoutnecessarily departing from the spirit and scope of the invention asexpressed in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention and illustrated its use, what I claimas new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A semi-indirect lighting fixture utilizing ceiling reflection; saidfixture comprising an incandescent bulb having a hemispherical bowlprovided with an upwardly light reflecting cir cumferential silveredband thereabout extending from a circular cut-off line approximately atthe level of the filament to a circular cut-ofi line in the polar regionof the hemisphere to leave that region transparent, whereby the lightfrom said bulb has an upwardly directed component Whose spread isapproximately 180 and a downwardly directed component, a mounting forsaid bulb whereby it is supported with its base uppermost and itssilvered bowl lowermost and in spaced relation to the ceiling, lampshielding means comprising a bowl shielding member having its top andbottom portions contoured cylindrically and its intermediate sectioncontoured spherically, the radius of curvature of the intermediateportion being greater than that of the hemispherical lower wall portionof the lamp to provide a space therebetween, the height of the top andintermediate portions of the shielding member correspondingapproximately to that of the silvered zone of the lamp, and means forsuspending said shieldingmember from said ceiling suspension means tolocate said top and intermediate portions of said shielding member inspaced and laterally registered relation to the silvered zone of thelamp.

2. A light fixture of the character set forth in claim 1 wherein theshielding means comprises a series of ring-like concentric shields ofincreasing diameter outwardly and whose tops are substantially at thelevel of the upper cut-off line of the silvering.

3. A device as set forth in claim 2 wherein the shielding meanscomprises a disk-like upwardly angled diametered member to serve as aglare shield.

MORRIS B. BECK.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName Date 1,917,612 Symmes July 11, 1933 2,185,694 Noe Jan. 2, 19402,437,522 Handler Mar. 9, 1948 2,544,581 Bodian Mar. 6, 1951 FOREIGNPATENTS Number Country Date 155,593 Great Britain June 22, 1922 536,773Great Britain May 27, 1941

